Jack Lescoulie

Jack Lescoulie, a founding personality on NBC's "Today" show, died Wednesday of cancer in a hospital here. He was 75. Lescoulie was second banana to Dave Garroway on the original "Today" show in 1952, handling light features on the morning program. His last regular appearances on "Today" were in 1966, when Hugh Downs was the anchorman. Lescoulie ushered in a new concept in television as the "Today" announcer. "When I first went to work on 'Today,' I did not have a strong role," he once said.

Jack Lescoulie, a founding personality on NBC's "Today" show, died Wednesday of cancer in a hospital here. He was 75. Lescoulie was second banana to Dave Garroway on the original "Today" show in 1952, handling light features on the morning program. His last regular appearances on "Today" were in 1966, when Hugh Downs was the anchorman. Lescoulie ushered in a new concept in television as the "Today" announcer. "When I first went to work on 'Today,' I did not have a strong role," he once said.

UCLA's first football victory over USC saved Milt Smith's life. Smith was a receiver for the 1942 Bruins, who defeated the Trojans, 14-7, to advance to the Rose Bowl. Two years later, he was among thousands of soldiers who were critically wounded during the Battle of the Bulge. Medics declared him a hopeless case and were about to move on, Smith told people, when someone spotted his engraved Rose Bowl watch and shouted, "This is one guy we've got to save!" Smith spent 18 months recovering but saw a lifetime of UCLA-USC games before his death in 2010.